Uncoupling lever assemblies connected to railcars must be able to rotate the lock lifter of a coupler and also be able to change their length to accommodate movement of the coupler relative to the railcar during travel. Uncoupling levers are typically connected to the railcar with a pivotal connection on the handle, and the opposite end is connected to the lock lifter on the coupler. Rotating the handle causes the lever assembly to rotate and also rotates the lock lifter. Rotating the lock lifter causes the coupler to release so that adjacent cars may be uncoupled. The coupler will move laterally relative to the railcar when the railcar negotiates turns. Couplers may also extend or retract upon impact with other railcars. As the coupler moves relative to the railcar, the distance between the coupler and the mounting location of the handle changes, therefore, the length of the lever assembly must change.
It is important that the levers of the lever assembly remain freely movable relative to each other without binding. When the coupler moves, it does so with great force. Any binding in the lever assembly prevents it from changing its length, which could result in damage to the railcar, damage to the coupler, and/or damage to the lever assembly. Several attempts to produce levers that change their length without binding have been made. Plastic glides have been used that go into enclosures that levers slide through so that individual levers may slide relative to each other without metal-to-metal contact that will likely cause binding. Over time, plastic glides can be degraded by ultraviolet (UV) light. If glides become brittle due to UV light exposure, they may become cracked, fall out of the enclosures, and allow metal-to-metal contact between the levers and enclosures. Glides in the prior art generally depend on external protrusions to retain them in their enclosures. Failure of the external protrusions from UV light degradation will cause the glides to dislodge from their enclosures and allow metal-to-metal contact between the levers and enclosures.